InnerSpaces by Karen - Yoga Therapy

Clutter Therapy - Ask the Organizer

Sunday, March 30, 2014

"In
my world every one is a pony and they all eat rainbows and poop butterflies!!!!- Horton Hears a
Who

Ayurveda
is considered one of the world's oldest healing sciences.Although this "Wisdom of Life" has
been practiced in India for the past 5,000 years, this holistic medical science
is just starting to grow in popularity here in the US.Ayurveda uses close observation of a person's
natural tendencies and temperament to restore balance to the body.Balance is the key principle of Ayurveda -
the balance of opposites.In order to do
this one must understand the unique nature of each person; there is no
"one size fits all".In fact,
Ayurveda's favorite answer to the question of treatment is, "it
depends".Healing depends on the
individual's natural constitution, the season, age, climate, and so on.Just like everyone has a unique fingerprint,
each person has a particular pattern of energy - physical, mental and
emotional.

Observation
of an individual may include looking at the skin and complexion, fingernails, feeling
the characteristics of the pulse, assessing the urine and feces, and viewing
the tongue.The tongue is considered a
mirror to the body's organ system and is a map of what's happening within the
body before it is manifested externally.The tongue reflects the degree of health or imbalance of the body and
can signal disease before any other signs and symptoms show outwardly.Balance is the natural order; imbalance is
disorder.Health is order; disease is
disorder.

These
tools for analysis and diagnosis, describe the current state of a person as
well as their tendencies.A common
thread between all these observations is a healthy digestive fire (agni).Food is supposed to nourish our tissues and
give us energy.If an imbalance is
affecting your agni, the things that enter the body are not properly processed
and toxins (ama) build up.

The
first sign that toxins have built up is a heavy white coating on your
tongue.The second sign is odor - body
odor, bad breath, odor with flatulence, smelly poop.As the body's main means of removing waste,
healthy bowel movements are essential to preventing the buildup of ama and
staying balanced.

Fecal Features

When it
comes to toileting habits, the topic is not exactly a favorite among Americans
– at least for those above the age of four. Mention poop and you can easily
clear a room – or at the least, generate some unusual facial expressions,
nervous laughter, and wisecracks about “too much information.”

But your
bodily functions are an important health topic that deserves serious attention,
regardless of the “ick factor.” In fact, if you ignore what you deposit in your
toilet, you could be flushing your health down the drain!

Did you
know the average person generates about five TONS of stool in his or her
lifetime? Turns out, there is much to be learned from this mountain of poop.

The
shape, size, color, and other fecal features can tell you a great deal about
your overall health, how your gastrointestinal tract is functioning, and even
give you clues about serious disease processes that could be occurring, like
infections, digestive problems, and even cancer. Poop comes in just about all
the colors of the rainbow... and please forgive me for using the words poop and rainbow
in the same sentence.

Although
there is certainly a wide variety of stool colors, textures and forms that are
considered “normal,” there are definitely things that, if seen or experienced,
warrant immediate medical attention. So here's what you need to know about
what’s normal and not normal in the bathroom department.

What is Normal Stool?

Your
stool is about 75 percent water. The rest is a combination of fiber, live and
dead bacteria, miscellaneous cells and mucus.Normal stool is brown due to its composition: bacteria,
water, bile, bilirubin, broken-down red blood celIs and indigestible plant
matter like cellulose, along with small amounts of protein and fat.The
characteristics of your poop will tell you a good deal about how happy and
healthy your digestive tract is – the color, odor, shape, size, and even the
sound it makes when it hits the water and whether it’s a “sinker” or a
“floater” are all relevant information.

If you’re
one to “poop and scoot” quickly out of the bathroom without looking in the
toilet, then you might want to slow down and look down.

The Perfect Poop

I bet a lot
of you out there didn’t know there was a poop chart to compare the shape of
your poop, to see what it is telling you about your health.

The
Bristol Stool Chart is a handy tool that may help you learn what you’re going
for. Ideally, your stool should approximate Types 3, 4 and 5, “like a sausage
or a snake, smooth and soft” to “soft blobs that pass easily.” Type 4 is the
Holy Grail.

Bristol Stool Chart

The seven
types of stool are:

Type 1: Separate hard lumps of
poop, like nuts (hard to pass)

Type 2: Sausage-shaped poop,
but lumpy

Type 3:
Poop shaped Like a sausage but with cracks on its surface

Type 4:
Poop like a sausage or snake, smooth and soft

Type 5:
Soft poop blobs with clear cut edges (passed easily)

Type 6: Poop that is fluffy
pieces with ragged edges, a mushy stool

Type 7: Watery poop, no solid
pieces. Entirely liquid

What’s Your Bristol Stool Chart Number

Poop types 1 & 2 will make you
feel like you’re birthing a herd of baby elephants and this lumpy poop means
you are constipated.Number 2
means you have still have lumpy poop and are a bit constipated.

You should be shooting for poop
that’s somewhere in the range of Types 3, 4 & 5.They are easy to defecate while not
containing separate little lumps or any excess liquid.Number 4 & 5 are the perfect poop
on the stool chart or the epitome of “taking a crap”.

The common
solution between the two is fiber, the daily recommendation of fiber is 25 grams.
To get that into our diet each day it would be like eating 10 oranges, 6 baked
sweet potatoes, 12 slices whole wheat bread and 5 cups of oatmeal. Even if one
person could eat all, that they would be terribly obese.

Fiber
tends to bulk up your stool and acts like glue to keep the stool stuck
together, instead of in pieces. If your stool is on the softer side, short of
diarrhea (“soft serve,” as some call it), it could be related to lactose
intolerance, artificial sweeteners (sorbitol and Splenda),
or a reaction to fructose
or gluten.

What the Color of Your Poop is Telling You

What do
kidney disease, stomach cancer, Crohn’s disease, diabetes and gallbladder
disease all have in common? You can identify their warning signs by looking
before you flush. Believe it or not, the color of your poop can be an indicator
of disease.The next time you’re in the bathroom, take a second to glance down and
observe the color of your poop. This guide breaks down what stool color is
normal and which colors you should consult your doctor about.

The color of
stool can vary dramatically and can also be a clue as to whether various
disease states are present.

Red stool is
most worrisome as it indicates bleeding in the lower GI tract from conditions
like hemorrhoids or diverticulosis, or more serious conditions like rectal
cancer. Red stool can also be caused by ingesting red food coloring or beets.
While it should always be reported, it's not always an ominous sign.

Green stool
can occur with rapid transit through the intestines where bile doesn't have a
chance to be broken down to its final brown color. Green can also be a sign of
Crohn's disease, antibiotic use, ingestion of leafy greens or iron therapy.

Yellow stool
can be the result of gallbladder dysfunction which causes
improper handling of bile. Infection with giardia lamblia produces a
characteristic yellow diarrhea. In addition to causing diarrhea, different
types of infection in the GI tract, whether viral, bacterial or parasitic, may
cause changes in stool color.White stool
can be a sign of fat malabsorption, as with pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer, but barium used for
X-rays can also give the same appearance. Mucus in the stool can give it a
whitish appearance and may be due to inflammation or benign conditions like
IBS.

Black stool
should trigger a search for bleeding from the upper part of the GI tract
(esophagus, stomach or small intestine), but can also be seen with iron
therapy, heavy meat consumption, and bismuth-containing compounds.

Light-appearing
clay-colored stools are characteristic of liver disease and decreased bile
output, but can also be caused by antacids containing aluminum hydroxide.
Vitamins and supplements commonly cause changes in urine color but may also
change stool color.

Look, Listen and Smell Before You Flush

What’s
normal and what’s not when you look into the toilet? The following table will
help you narrow down what to look for, so that you aren’t needlessly alarmed.
Of course, there are a few signs that ARE cause for concern, and those are
listed too. If you have a change in stools accompanied by abdominal pain,
please report this to your physician.

Healthy Stool

Unhealthy Stool

Medium to light brown

Stool that is hard to pass, painful, or requires straining

Smooth and soft, formed into one long shape and not a bunch of pieces

Hard lumps and pieces, or mushy and watery, or even pasty and
difficult to clean off

About one to two inches in diameter and up to 18 inches long

Narrow, pencil-like or ribbon-like stools: can indicate a bowel obstruction or tumor – or worst case, colon
cancer; narrow stools on an infrequent basis are not so concerning, but if
they persist, definitely warrant a call to your physician

S-shaped, which comes from the shape of your lower intestine

Black, tarry stools or bright red stools may indicate bleeding in the GI tract; black stools can also come
from certain medications, supplements or consuming black licorice; if you
have black, tarry stools, it’s best to be evaluated by your healthcare
provider

Quiet and gentle dive into the water...it should fall into the bowl
with the slightest little “whoosh” sound – not a loud, wet cannonball splash
that leaves your toosh in need of a shower

White, pale or gray stools may
indicate a lack of bile, which may suggest a serious problem (hepatitis, cirrhosis,
pancreatic disorders, or possibly a blocked bile duct), so this warrants a
call to your physician; antacids may also produce white stool

Natural smell, not repulsive (I’m not saying it will smell good)

Yellow stools may indicate
giardia infection, a gallbladder problem, or a condition known as Gilbert’s
syndrome – if you see this, call your doctor

Uniform texture

Presence of undigested food (more of a concern if accompanied by
diarrhea, weight loss, or other changes in bowel habits)

Sinks slowly

Floaters or splashers

Increased mucus in stool: This
can be associated with inflammatory bowel disease like Crohn’s disease, or
ulcerative colitis, or even colon cancer, especially if accompanied by blood
or abdominal pain

Does Your Stool Have a Really Bad Odor?

If your
stool has an extraordinarily bad odor, it should not be ignored. I am referring
to an odor above
and beyond the normally objectionable stool odor. Stinky stool can
be associated with a number of health problems, such as:

A malabsorptive disorder

Celiac disease

Crohn’s disease

Chronic pancreatitis

Cystic fibrosis

Cystic
fibrosis (CF) is a disease caused by a defective gene that causes your body to
produce abnormally thick, sticky mucus, which builds up and causes
life-threatening lung infections and serious digestive problems. Most cases of
CF are diagnosed before the age of 2, so this is more of a concern with infants
and toddlers.

Speaking
of malodorous things, what about gas? Passing gas (flatulence) is normal. Not
only is it normal, it’s a good sign that trillions of hard working gut
bacteria are doing their jobs. People pass gas an average 14 times per day
– anywhere from one to four pints of it! Ninety nine percent of gas is odorless, so you
may even be unaware you’re passing it. Think about it – were it not for an
exit, we’d all blow up like balloons!

How Often Should You Move Your Bowels?

Normal
bowel habits vary. When we talk about regularity, what we’re really talking
about is what’s
regularfor you. Three bowel movements per day to three per week is
considered the normal range.

What’s
more important than frequency is the ease with which you move your bowels. If
you need to push or strain, something is off – moving your bowels should take
no more effort than urinating or passing gas. The thing to watch for is a
sudden change in your bowel habits. Many factors can affect regularity, such as
diet, travel, medications, hormonal fluctuations, sleep patterns, exercise,
illness, surgery, childbirth, stress and a whole host of other things.

Constipation and Diarrhea

The
average body takes between 18 and 72 hours to convert food into poop and pass
it on out. When this time is significantly shortened, the result is diarrhea
because your intestine doesn’t have time to absorb all of the water.
Conversely, when transit time is lengthened, you may end up constipated because
too much
water has been absorbed, resulting in hard, dry stools.

Constipation
is defined as passing hard, dry stools that you have to strain to move, and
it’s typically accompanied by decreased frequency of defecation. Straining is
not normal, nor are experiencing feelings of incomplete elimination, bloating,
crampiness, or sluggishness after going number two. If you’re over the age of
65, your risk of becoming constipated increases significantly.

Chronic,
untreated constipation can lead to fecal impaction, which can be a serious
medical condition. Laxatives should be avoided at all cost and used only as a
last resort. If you absolutely must use a laxative, make sure it is used for
only a very short period of time.

Common Causes of INCREASED Bowel Frequency (Diarrhea)

Lifestyle

Diseases and Conditions

·Eating more fruits
and vegetables (increased fiber)

·Increased exercise

·Drinking more water

·Emotional stress

·Food allergies

·Hyperthyroidism
(overactive thyroid)

·Crohn’s disease

·Ulcerative colitis

·Celiac disease

·Irritable bowel
syndrome (IBS)

·Medication side
effects

·Gastrointestinal
infection

Common Causes of DECREASED Bowel Frequency (Constipation)

·Change in diet,
less fiber, less fruits and vegetables

·Emotional stress

·Ignoring the urge
to “go,” travel and scheduling factors that cause you to hold it

·Insufficient
exercise

·Inadequate
hydration

·Calcium or iron
supplements

·Drugs such as
narcotic painkillers (codeine, for example), diuretics, antacids,
antidepressants, and excess or overused laxatives

·Food allergies

·Pregnancy,
childbirth, or hormonal disturbances

·Problems with the
muscles or nerve in the intestine, rectum or anus

·Irritable bowel
syndrome (IBS)

·Diabetes

·Hypothyroidism
(underactive thyroid)

·Local pain or
discomfort around the anus, such as from fissures or hemorrhoids

Most
gastrointestinal problems can be prevented or resolved by making simple changes
to your diet and lifestyle. If you aren’t achieving poo perfection, or if you
don’t feel right, then look at the following factors and consider making a few
changes. These strategies will help reverse constipation or diarrhea, in
addition to helping prevent recurrences.

Remove all sources of gluten
from your diet (the most common sources are wheat, barley, rye, spelt and
other grains)

Eat a diet that includes whole
foods, rich in fresh, organic vegetables and fruits that provide good
nutrients and fiber; most of your fiber should come from vegetables, not
from grains

Psyllium fiber, it will bulk up
the stool and will help to get you to the number 4 on the stool chart.
Metamucil is the way to go to get the perfect s-shaped poop.Take 7 grams of soluble psyllium fiber a
day, that’s about 3 daily doses with 8 ounces of water each time.

Triphala is an ayurvedic supplement
that serves many functions in supporting optimal health, with bowel health
being one of them.I highly
recommend:www.banyanbotanicals.com

Consider
squatting
instead of sitting to move your bowels; squatting straightens your rectum,
relaxes your puborectalis muscle and encourages the complete emptying of
your bowel without straining, and has been scientifically shown to relieve
constipation and hemorrhoids.Humans have squatted for millennia - until the advent of the modern
toilet.Check out the Squatty
Potty: http://www.squattypotty.com/

Consider a Bidet

As a
practical and affordable alternative to toilet paper, you might want to try a
bidet. Bidets are the norm in Europe—no bathroom is found without one. Once you
experience a bidet, you’ll probably never go back to toilet paper! A bidet is
refreshing in a way toilet paper will never be, is gentler and less irritating
than wiping with paper, and reduces hand contamination. Whenever I travel it is
one of the items that I miss most from my home. Nearly everyone that I know has
received one just loves them.

The
bidets pay for themselves in no time with the money saved on toilet paper, as
well as helping save valuable environmental resources. You still need a sheet
or two of toilet paper to dry yourself, but that is a tiny fraction of what you
would need to clean yourself. But more importantly they clean your bottom far
more effectively than simply using dry toilet paper. They are easy to install,
as no plumber is required. Try the Soft Spray Bidet:http://products.mercola.com/toilet-bidet/

Who else would care about the
contents of your large intestines more than yours truly? …you’re welcome.Oh, and have a “crappy day!”I mean…happy day.LOL.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Turn on the TV
or open a magazine.We must perceive
ourselves as being ugly, quite ill, and in need of serious weight loss.Why are we so obsessed with beauty?
What exactly is broken?How much time do
we dedicate to analyzing all our faults?And…who decided how you should or shouldn’t look anyway?Who imposed these ridiculous rules?Why do we accept them without question?

Everyone who
consumes media is being told a story.Right now, its girls and sexuality.We get social cues about how we should see ourselves.Media is the biggest social cue and it’s
sending a really destructive message to the world that little girls and their
bodies are for sale.Look at the
billboards, music videos, magazines, TV ads…sex, sex, sex.These risky messages are pushing the sexy
threshold.

You also have
social media tools for self-exploration.On Tumblr and
Facebook, teenagers post images of ripped athletes under the heading “fitspo”
or “fitspiraton,” which are short for “fitness inspiration.” The tags are
spinoffs of “thinspo” and “thinspiration” pictures and videos, which have been
banned from many sites for promoting anorexia. (See my June 2012 Musings from the Mat e-news on that
topic.)

I was talking
with a fellow parent recently and he was upset with his son’s idea of beauty. (We both have 17 year old boys.) This very attractive gal was trying to get his
son’s attention.When the Dad mentioned
to his son that this girl was beautiful, the son replied, “But she’s not
hot.”Of course, the Dad asked what
“hot” was and his son described a young lady that is heavily made-up and
donning an overtly sexual wardrobe.

Dustin
Hoffman says this so eloquently when he was interviewed about his role in Tootsie.He wouldn’t do the movie unless they could make him look like a woman,
not a guy in drag!He was shocked that
he didn’t look like a “beautiful” woman.They told him that was as good as it gets.He started crying , “When I look at myself on
screen I think I’m an interesting woman.I know if I met myself at a party, I would never talk to her because she
doesn’t fulfill physically the demands we’re brought up to think; that women
have to have in order to ask them out.”He really got choked up, “There are too many interesting women I have
not had the experience to know in this life because I have been brainwashed.”

Access Hollywood did a documentary called
“Sexy Baby” which examines the influence of sexual content and the over
sexualization of female images and how its corrupting society especially little
girls.It’s not okay to make 14 year old
girls look like they’re 25 or parade a 6 year old “Pageant Prostitute” on the popular
TV show Toddlers and Tiaras.

When
I was teaching yoga at SMART camp, one class was about the power of images and
advertising.I would show them photos of
famous actresses and singers.For the
most part, the kids did not recognize them.Then I showed them the photos of what they are familiar with….what they
looked like after makeup, hair and air brushing.They were shocked.

Check out Britney Spears (original photo is on the
left and photoshopped on right).She’s
29 years old with 2 kids.She has the
body of someone who clearly works out regularly.We've
been treated to close-ups of her acne, her bad hair days and her cellulite.
Every imperfection has been carefully catalogued, circled in red, and commented
on in magazines. It cheapens the self-image of the viewer as much as the image
of the star.By reveling in a
celebrity's imperfection, all we do is compound a culture of criticism which we turn upon ourselves.

Naturally waif-like, Kiera Knightly, has bemoaned her
lack of curves in the past.The Pirates of the Caribbean star
succumbed to computer wizardry as well for a fuller chest.

Another celebrity had her breast implants increased
to DDDs, a brow lift, botox to foreheard, a nose job revision, lipo on her
stomach, waist, hips & thighs, a butt augmentation, chin reduction, fat
injection in cheeks, and her ears pinned back. At 23 years old, Heidi Montag,
star on The Hills, is obsessed with
her unending quest for perfection.Very much like actress Pamela Anderson and
pop superstar Michael Jackson were in their heyday when cosmetic surgery was
exclusively done by celebrities.

Take a look at this
selection of female Olympic athletes from different sports.That’s right – Olympic athletes.You can’t really be in much better shape than
this!It speaks for itself.

99%
of these ladies don’t look like fitness models. There are all shapes and sizes
of fit women and female athletes in the world, from 90 lb. gymnasts, to 150 lb.
sprinters, to 200 lb. shotputters…and everything in between. Frankly, I find
these ladies from Sports Illustrated for
Women much more inspiring than the airbrushed cartoon bunnies on the cover
of Shape magazine.And anyway,
most of the fitness models don’t look like fitness models.Again with the photographic tricks…lighting,
angles and posing along with tanning, shiny bronzer and a myriad of makeup
tricks.

Even a
truth-seeking sport such as yoga is not immune to the fakeness fervor. Even yoga teachers can’t escape our culture’s
obsession with the physical form.Both
teachers and students can be described as “beautiful bodies outfitted in
Lycra.”Females use their sexuality too,
prancing in tight, sexy clothes, sending their sexual power vibes.Some women use their sexuality to empower themself and manipulate others.
She causes men to want to serve her, to put her on a pedestal and thus
increase her own importance and social standing. She makes other women fear her
and they become obsequious servants in large and small ways.Devoted to her own being., the perfection of her own body, these women in power also undermine each
other in their quest for more prominence.

And it is not just
girls these days that are consumed by an unattainable body image.Pediatricians are starting to sound alarm
bells about boys who take unhealthy measures to try to achieve Charles Atlas
bodies that only genetics can truly confer. Whether it is long hours in the
gym, allowances blown on expensive supplements or even risky experiments with
illegal steroids, the price American boys are willing to pay for the perfect
body appears to be on the rise.

In a study to be published in the journal Pediatrics,
more than 40% of boys in middle school and high school said they
regularly exercised with the goal of increasing muscle mass. 38% said they used protein supplements, and nearly 6% said they had
experimented with steroids.

“There has been a
striking change in attitudes toward male body image in the last 30 years,” said
Dr. Harrison Pope, a psychiatry professor at Harvard who studies bodybuilding
culture and was not involved in the study. The portrayal of men as fat-free and
chiseled “is dramatically more prevalent in society than it was a generation
ago,” he said.

Just as girls who
count every calorie in an effort to be thin may do themselves more harm than
good, boys who chase an illusory image of manhood may end up stunting their
development, doctors say, particularly when they turn to supplements — or,
worse, steroids — to supercharge their results.

Unfortunately
these images are primarily female focused and pushing someone else’s idea of
beauty.Now that my children are young
adults, I see how powerful advertising along with peer pressure has affected them.As parents, we did everything to make them
aware of how they were being marketed to.

Fabulously “Flawed”

As
an adolescent, I frequently asked my daughter why she thinks that putting on
makeup makes her any more beautiful…and she truly is gorgeous.She answered that it makes her feel good.Really?Who told her that…because it wasn’t me.Who’s to say you
need make up to look beautiful?I admire Dove and Seventeen
magazine for forging the way and showing what true beauty is.No makeup.No photoshopping.

My
son can’t stand when I stretch out my hairy legs alongside his.His response is usually “that’s gross”.I retort “According to whom?”It becomes a discussion about how in many places
of the world women do not shave (although it seems to be less and less).How did Americans get to this point?Then I move on to how men and women are both
born with hair so why are only women expected to shave their legs and
pits?Of course, he’s also the first to
comment when I DO shave my legs!

Two ranks on body hair.Those being plucked, shaved, tweezed used to
be looked at as overly obsessive, narcissistic, and faux.While those who don’t shave all their body
hair off are looked at as unclean, unkempt, feral and tribal. Bit by bit we’ve been taken over by the
hairless ethic…including this generation of young men!

Magazines bombard us with images of
male’s representation of beauty.The
media’s idea of sex and women changing to meet this “ism” has men responding to
an image rather than a real person, real flesh.The feminine is not valued in this society.Studies also show the more TV a boy watches,
the more sexist his views become; this is training them to expect girls to be
sex objects.The common theme in our society is undervaluing the feminine and
overvaluing and institutionalizing the masculine, patriarchal culture.Women have been denied, devalued and
denigrated.This has created misogyny of
young women.We should feel outraged and
overwhelmed!

In an interview with Jada
Pinkett-Smith, she shared her outrage about how the degradation of women has
resulted in problems for both sexes.Here’s
what she said:

How is man to recognize his full self,
his full power through the eyes of an incomplete woman? The woman who has been
stripped of Goddess recognition and diminished to a big ass and full breast for
physical comfort only.

I am sure the men, who restructured our
societies from cultures that honored woman, had no idea of the outcome. They
had no idea that eventually, even men would render themselves empty and longing
for meaning, depth and connection.

He doesn’t recognize that the [creation] of a half woman has contributed
to his repressed anger and frustration of feeling he is not enough. He then may
love no woman or keep many half women as his prize.

He doesn’t recognize that it’s his
submersion in the imbalanced warrior culture, where violence is the means of
getting respect and power, as the reason he can break the face of the woman who
bore him four children.

This abuse is pervasive. With men, it is death by one blow. With women, it is death
by a thousand cuts.Maybe, eventually, it could evolve to
the death of the ego.The exposure of
the truth is a way of ripping off that protective layer. Forcing us to grow.

In yoga we
describe the veiling power of the mind as maya. Maya is the illusion that
our mind creates telling us that something is real when, in actuality, our
perception is a function of the "software" our mind uses to create
sensory perception.

As women and girls, we have this history in our collective
that our value as females has so much to do with our appearance and our
beauty.These ideologies impact our
sense of self and identity.Plus we
identify our roles as wife and mother when not all women are doing that
now.This outward appearance shapes the
core sense of self.A lot of our biases
are covert.Are you making yourself
“more than” or “less than?”Do you have
an inner mean girl?How long have you
been thinking that negative thought?(I’m poor; I’m fat; I’m overweight.) Where did we get this idea that we are
deficient and need to improve ourselves?We got if from looking outside ourselves and comparing ourselves to
others.We’ve allowed well-meaning
parents, teachers, religious leaders and peers to tell us there is something
fundamentally wrong with us.Many
children have a sense that they are just being tolerated, not celebrated.How horrible is “tolerating”
differences.We should be accepting and
celebrating them.Looking for the beauty
and all the colors of the rainbow (or beliefs).

This is a mind virus that’s infected us.That negative virus infects our “computers”
(unconscious minds).We need to keep our
anti-virus software up to date (i.e. what FEELS good to you and what you want,
that which is in harmony with your desire).

Society offers a system of salvation (i.e. yoga, meditation,
religion).It’s exactly that social mind/human thinking that is the
root cause – not any individual person (or even Christianity).We give power to these cultural heroes
over ourselves.Who is this assumed authority?

Vivekanananda said: “We are under the false notion that we
are deficient.The more you focus on what is “wrong”, the harder it is to see what is
right and perfect.The act of trying to improve ourselves causes us to believe
there is something wrong with us in the first place.You cannot improve yourself because there is
nothing wrong except the beliefs about yourself and the way life works.As the divine grows within you, the ego/false
self will dissolve”.You can be a host
to God or a hostage to your ego.

This thinking has been impressed on society over
thousands of years.We’ve all been
affected by those systems.We’ve forgotten how to think for
ourselves.Most people don’t want to
think so they look for authority that tells them what to think.They question nothing and accept everything
they’re told and follow like sheep.We’ve lost the skill to think!

I don’t really care if you do or don’t wear
make-up.I don’t care if you are hairy
or hairless.I just want you to think
about whether or not your decision is really your choice or is it based on
someone else’s belief/values.Especially
if your decision was because someone (or something like the media) makes you
feel “less than” without their solution.

Solutions create the problem.There was no problem in the first place!Your essential nature is perfect and
faultless but years immersed in this world, we’ve forgotten our roots.We need to cultivate and nurture a loving
relationship with ourselves…”I am enough!”We are God’s form on earth.You
are beautiful already.

Society needs a reintegration and
revaluing of the feminine ways of being.Not just leaders from the heart; it’s using the wholeness of our being,
inner knowing.What we have been beaten
up for and repressed for is the thing we need most to bring forward.“Yes, I’m emotional.Yes, I feel things in my intuition.My body knows this is true.”That’s what the world needs from us right
now.

You can’t value others if you don’t
value yourself.If you are completely
fulfilled in your connection with the source, you can be sitting in a beautiful
garden or in a jail cell and it makes no difference!

Each person has their own greatness and
it’s your job to discover it and share it with the world.Ask yourself, “Who am I outside my role as
mother, sister, daughter?”Give yourself
permission to greatness!

I am
very lucky to have a husband who “sees” me.I love what Mike Meyers says as the Love
Guru about intimacy.It means “Into
Me….See?”Intimacy is really seeing the
person as they are…perfect, whole and complete.

We are an imprint of uniqueness not like anyone else and if
we are not that person, no one else on earth can be!Each of us came into this world with a unique
assignment.An assignment that was
tailor made for us.However our potentials
and destinies is a team sport.We need
each other.

About Me

Karen is familiar with the needs of busy families and thriving businesses because she has both. As the mother of 2 young adults, a registered yoga teacher and yoga therapist, author of "Yoga Bear" and Co-Contributor to "Yoga in America", and professional organizer, Karen knows what chaos looks like. She combined her passion for the calm that yoga brings with the peace that an organized environment invites into one unique business – InnerSpaces by Karen. Organizing has always been a part of Karen's life so she became a NAPO professional organizer. She grew up in an organized household where she learned that everything has a place and everything in its place. Organization is a learned skill and she is passionate about putting proven strategies into action to help others get organized and stay organized.